The Holidays are generally ridiculous crazy. I’m sure I’m not the only one in that boat. And after the holidays there are often times when I end up sick or just feeling sluggish. But I usually try to come to my own rescue by planning ahead during the holidays. The first thing I do (preferably during the holidays) is freeze the extra turkey in cubes–perfect for salads or soup. I also make turkey stock and freeze it. It’s an easy process and the benefits are reaped big time later….
Generally, I don’t host Thanksgiving. But, as I’ve said, I love having turkey in the house at some point during the season. That means I usually make a turkey for myself (and the dog, if you count the “cookies” I give to her while carving).
Because it’s just Flower and me in the consumption of these annual turkeys, I have to find ways to use the leftover turkey as there’s generally no way I can eat a whole turkey’s worth of meat throughout a week by myself (though I’m sure Flower would love the opportunity to try).
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I love to entertain. So naturally the holidays are some of my favorite times of year because it’s a wonderful excuse to make large meals for big groups of friends and family.
Because I love these meals, even if I’m not cooking for the actual holiday I almost always make the meals so I can fill my house with the smells, feelings, and, of course, the leftovers that come with hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas. This means I roast a turkey pretty much every year without fail.
I’ve worked really hard to figure out exactly how to roast the best turkey. I’ve taken classes, read blogs, Googled recipes, and asked friends and family. The one thing I consistently hear is how amazing brining a turkey is and how it helps the flavor and dryness of the turkey.
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I don’t know if it’s really conveyed here (I try really hard to hide it), but I’m not a vegetable eater. They just don’t do it for me. I’m sure I don’t get the daily recommended produce requirement barely ever, and those I do get are usually fruits. I’ve always been a “sweets” person, so I’m sure that’s a huge part of it.…
I know I’ve said it before, but I’m a seasonal drinker. It seems that whenever the month changes on the calendar, my palate changes with it.
November is my month for Old Fashioneds. I never used to consider myself a good “mixologist” or “cocktailer,” but about five years ago, I got so into Old Fashioneds, I figured I needed to learn to make them. Plus, when you make things yourself, you can make them perfectly to your taste every. single. time. For a foodie like myself, that’s truly a heavenly experience.
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I love the autumn. I’m always reminded of the line from “You’ve Got Mail,” “I would give you a bouquet of sharpened pencils…” It reverberates with me almost every September, and I’ve always related to it. I love flowers, but in the autumn I would appreciate a bouquet of sharpened pencils as a way to mark the start of the fall even more than I’d appreciate a bouquet of roses (my favorite, btw).
In college, I didn’t have a great start. I was homesick, bored, and sortof lost. But even as a young person fall flavors always comforted me.
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One day in college I was furious when I discovered one of my roommates had tried to fool me out of one of my most coveted treats I had brought from home. I awoke one morning and went to the kitchen to make some toast out of House of Bread’s famous pumpkin bread, which, I might add, was only available once a year. I opened the bag, measured out the perfect sized slice with my knife and began to cut. Off fell a tiny triangle-sized piece of the bread.
Now, for anyone else, it would be reasonable to think I had cut the last piece of this bread diagonally by mistake. Hey, it was college–it could even have been at the end of an evening in the bars. However, aside from the fact that I was weirdly OCD about the sizes and straightness of these slices, I was COVETOUS of this bread. I knew someone had stolen it. And I was pissed.
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Good evening, Hungry Daters!
So, first thing, I need to apologize for the two week delay in announcing this pick! Like everyone who has a blog, website, or online business does at one time; I spent the last two weeks working to repair and restore the site after most of the files were lost.
So, though we’re going to be semi-under construction for a while, while I re-design and update the site, I still owe someone a free copy of one of my favorite Cookbooks, “Date Night In”!
So, without further ado, the winner of the Hungry Dater’s first giveaway of 2017 is:
Ann Malloy from Reno, Nevada!
As for the rest of everything, expect a relatively significant amount of posts in the next few weeks, because I have about a month’s worth of content to catch up on. 🙂
Until then, Happy Cooking!!!